Apple has patented a possible next-generation Apple Pencil that can sample real-world colors and then input the same color into the iPad, and other features like the ability to sample textures. Notifiable patent patented appledescribes an “Apple Pencil” with color sensors built into the tip of the pencil that can sample the surface of real objects and determine their color. The images in the patent show that the “Apple Pencil” could have a built-in ambient light sensor, a light emitter, and a light detector that can detect surface color and texture.

As with all patents, there is no word on when such a feature or product will be released. Apple filed a patent for a similar feature in June 2020, and no such update was made for the “Apple Pencil” three years later. The second-generation “Apple Pencil” was announced in 2018 with no clear indication of when the third-generation model will hit the market.

Apple has added new features to the “Apple Pencil” thanks to the improved “iPad” hardware and new iPadOS features. For example, the new M2 iPad Pro has an Apple Pencil highlight feature that allows users to hover the stylus over the “iPad” so that the “Apple Pencil” knows exactly where to touch the screen.